...because of the wonderful things he does.

The wizard is a lie…but, so is the little man behind the curtain.

Have you ever seen The Wizard of Oz? There’s a scene that I like near the end. It’s just after Dorothy and the gang had killed the Wicked Witch of the West. They return to the palace of the Emerald City to find the Wizard out of commission. Some other stuff happens, then Toto pulls back a curtain to reveal a frightened old man frantically pushing buttons, throwing switches, and pulling levers. Although it’s clear that the jig is up, he yells into his microphone, using the Wizard’s voice to issue one final proclamation: “Pay no attention to the little man behind the curtain.”

I like this scene because it serves as a wonderful, and eerily accurate, metaphor for a lot of my life. I squandered a lot of time and energy frantically throwing switches and pulling levers to operate my Wizard. That is, the version of myself that I used to astound, entertain, and draw the masses. One button would cue witty banter. Another would trigger a confident, self-assured stride. A switch would toggle between proper English and admittedly unconvincing slang. A lever would dial up a bright smile when it didn’t come naturally. All the while, I was hiding and protecting the lost, scared (and very tired) Little Man Behind the Curtain.

I always knew that the Wizard was a sham, but it was a necessary evil. I justified all of the button-pushing, switch-throwing, and lever-pulling, saying that my true self needed to be hidden and protected, at all costs.

LIES. Filthy, stinking lies, I tell you.

My true self is clearly not the Wizard, but it’s not the Little Man either. The Little Man is an invention, just like the wizard. I created the Wizard out of people’s expectations, society’s standards, and my own guesswork. Life created the Little Man out of hurt, mistakes, and shame.

This Little Man is the me that died when I was born again in Christ, but my true self is the me that God created. My true self is the me that is wonderfully and fearfully made, that is more than a conqueror, that can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. My true self is the realization of everything that God says of His children, everything He says about me.

If indeed the devil’s greatest trick is convincing people that he doesn’t exist, convincing us that this true, God-created self doesn’t exist is a close second. Not only do we buy this lie, but we lie, steal and cheat to protect it and the fake, damaged self that is left in place of the true self.

The key to defeating him and overcoming his deceit is seeing and believing the truth that was there all the time: the truth that is hidden behind the little man who is hiding behind the curtain.